Did you know? This holiday celebrates Mexico's victory over France, in 1862, and it is actually bigger in the US than Mexican Independence Day, which falls on Sept 16. It's usually a great excuse to drink beer and party, but ... not on a Monday. Boo.

This Saturday the cycling season officially transitions from one-day "classics" to week-long "stage races", as the Tour of California starts. The classic season was great, and now I can't wait for the ATOC. Especially since the decisive final stage is practically in my backyard, with a circuit of Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, and Agoura Hills, featuring the famous "Rockstore" climb. Yes I will be there, and yes, I will post about it. Stay tuned!

Interesting article about Elon's Elan; the empire built by Elon Musk which includes SpaceX, Tesla, Solar City, etc. And how he was able to finance each in creative ways... he certainly is a visionary, in the truest sense of seeing further into the future than most of us, and then making it happen.

The plant with 1,000 faces; this "chameleon" vine is a parasite which can look like its host, customizing its leaves to match nearby foliage. How interesting. And the mechanism by which it does this is not yet understood...